F for Fake
Vérités et Mensonges
United States • 1975
Director
#288Criterion Collection →Synopsis
Trickery. Deceit. Magic. In F FOR FAKE, a free-form sort-of documentary by Orson Welles, the legendary filmmaker (and self-described charlatan) gleefully reengages with the central preoccupation of his career: the tenuous lines between illusion and truth, art and lies. Beginning with portraits of the world-renowned art forger Elmyr de Hory and his equally devious biographer, Clifford Irving, Welles embarks on a dizzying journey that simultaneously exposes and revels in fakery and fakers of all stripes, not the least of whom is Welles himself. Charming and inventive, F FOR FAKE is an inspired prank and a clever examination of the essential duplicity of cinema.
Synopsis
Trickery. Deceit. Magic. In F FOR FAKE, a free-form sort-of documentary by Orson Welles, the legendary filmmaker (and self-described charlatan) gleefully reengages with the central preoccupation of his career: the tenuous lines between illusion and truth, art and lies. Beginning with portraits of the world-renowned art forger Elmyr de Hory and his equally devious biographer, Clifford Irving, Welles embarks on a dizzying journey that simultaneously exposes and revels in fakery and fakers of all stripes, not the least of whom is Welles himself. Charming and inventive, F FOR FAKE is an inspired prank and a clever examination of the essential duplicity of cinema.
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(1)
Credits
Crew
DirectorOrson Welles
WriterOrson Welles
CinematographerFrançois Reichenbach
ComposerMichel Legrand
ProducerDominique Antoine